Noticed a big shift in how new divers treat their gear over just 5 years

I've been diving out of the Gulf since 2010, and I swear the guys coming in now treat their drysuits like they're disposable. Back when I started, you'd spend a whole Sunday scrubbing your gear, checking every zipper, patching little tears before they got big. Now I see rookies leaving sand in their valves and hanging wet suits in the sun to bake, and they just buy a new set every season. Has anyone else seen the same thing or is it just the younger crews I'm working with down here?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer7821mo agoMost Upvoted

Fiona's got a point, I still have my dad's old regulator from the 80s sitting in the garage collecting dust.

the_jana1mo ago

I used to think older gear was automatically better built but seeing how people treat that 80s regulator in your garage makes me reconsider. A friend of mine just got a new setup and honestly keeps it cleaner than most of the used stuff I see for sale online.

fiona_west211mo agoMost Upvoted

Gonna have to disagree a bit here, lol. I see a lot of new divers actually maintaining their stuff really well, just in different ways, like using rinse tanks properly and storing regs inside. The ones treating gear badly are probably the same kind of people who would've trashed a set 15 years ago too.